


Who We Are

by MarilynnRae



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 21:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4640511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarilynnRae/pseuds/MarilynnRae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abby protects a grounder child from the abuse of her people, however it means taking on a new charge at Camp Jaha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tyga. For such a small child it seemed to be such a big name. Abby felt awkward as she pulled held the child against her while the eyes of dozens of grounders watched her walk away. However awkward she felt, whatever the repercussions of her actions may be, they were worth it by the way the little girl was clinging to her, nails in her shirt and face buried in her neck. Things may have already gone to hell if it wasn’t for the soft hand on her middle back and the strong presence walking beside her. 

Marcus wasn’t going to let them get to her, not on his life. 

“Don’t touch her!” The words had come out of her mouth so instinctively that she hadn’t realized they were said until it was too late. She was just a child, caught stealing. They were going to beat her and burn her hands for needing to survive. It was barbaric. 

She was pushing through the groups of people and shoving Indra away from the little girl to pull her in her arms. Marcus was at her side instantly, his face firm but unreadable as Indra stepped closer to Abby giving her the look that looked like a shark needing blood. 

“She’s a child!” Abby’s words were firm but quiet. She was barely more than a toddler. Four years old, maybe five. Much too young to be punished for trying to survive. 

“She is not your issue,” Indra hissed as she pointed the hot iron against Abby’s side as she took daring steps closer. She wanted Abby to relent either out of fear of pain. The long rectangular iron burned through her shirt and into her side. Clammy sweat covered her face at the feeling, but she didn’t relent. “Step aside, sky woman.”

She wouldn’t. Words seemed to escape her while the pain of the iron was clouding her brain, so Marcus stepped in. “Let the child go home. It’s not her fault she’s hungry.”

Indra seemed to scowl at this suggestion as she pulled the iron off of Abby’s skin as she turned to Marcus. “Tyga has no home. Her parents were lost when your daughter burned three hundred of our people. She must learn strength, stealth, and punishment. She is weak.”

This time Indra reached for Tyga and attempted to pulled her off of Abby, but neither Tyga or Abby was letting go. “You are wrong. You can’t treat her like this.” This time Abby didn’t yell or snarl, she instead looked at Indra evenly hoping that she would understand. 

However, Indra understanding was about as possible as Abby finding a stock of chocolate hidden under her pillow in the morning. It would have been nice, but it wasn’t possible. 

Indra looked at Abby like a snake about to strike. “You lead your people, Sky Woman, and I’ll lead mine.”

Marcus’s grip on her bicep that she hadn’t noticed until it was turning into a vice grip, ready to pull her out of harm’s way if Indra decided to lunge. 

“If she is weak, let me take her.”

Once again words were out of her mouth before she could really think about the weight of them. She could feel Marcus shift his gaze from Indra to her, but she stood strong. “You don’t want the weak and this child is too young to be strong. Let me take her.” 

Indra stared at her for a long moment before taking a step back. “Allow the child to choose. She may live among our people or die with yours.”

With a firm hand, Indra turned Tyga’s head to look at her, but she immediately pressed her head into the crook of Abby’s neck and peered at her under Abby’s chin. “Choose your fate, child.”

The little lip puckered at the harsh voice as she shook in Abby’s arms. The grip on Abby’s shirt tightened as she held on so tightly, it almost seemed that she was trying to disappear into her. Indra’s expression turned to sheer disgust. 

“Tyga has made her choice.”

Abby expected more. Some glummy, threatening omen about weakness of death from the woman, but Indra did nothing. For a few more moments Abby stood there, clutching the child as though someone was going to lung at her and steal the girl away. Marcus gently tugged on her arm to get her moving and slid his hand to the small of her back as they walked away. 

“Dammit Abby,” he muttered when they were finally out of earshot of the grounders. He barely slowed down to throw their packs over his shoulder and kept her walking. 

“They were going to beat her and burn her, Marcus,” Abby replied as she struggled to keep up with his long, quick strides. She was nearly jogging, making Tyga bounce enough to where her leg brushed against the open wound on her side. The hiss she made, made Marcus slow down and look at her. 

“Let me see it,” he told her as she tried to find a better position for Tyga and her side. She bit her lower lip as she shifted the child on her other hip. Marcus watched her expression as his fingers gently took a hold of the bottom of her shirt and lifted it until it reveal midway up her rips. His eyes fell back on the burn as it revealed itself as an angry red gash of burned away flesh surrounded by a blister. It needed to be cleaned and it was probably hurting a lot more than she was letting on. 

The tanned skin of her stomach was hot to the touch and she probably didn’t need to be told she was feverish. Damn she was tough, but more than that she was stubborn. 

He reached for their water and pulled the bandages out of Abby’s bag. “I need to clean it and cover it so it doesn’t infected.”

Telling her it was going to hurt, was superfluous. Adding water to an open burn was comparably worse than the original injury. 

But Abby shook her head and looked at Tyga. It wasn’t a good idea at the moment. Abby may have been able to stay silent while it was happening, but she was sure she wouldn’t be able to do the same the second time around. Marcus took a deep breath and nodded. She didn’t need to speak for him to understand. 

Instead they kept walking. Marcus seemed to be touching her or nearly touching her the entire way and she couldn’t help but wonder how they had come to this. She was as reliant on his touch as he was on her presence. It should have scared her, but the idea of Marcus Kane beside her was a comfort more than anything.

A few more steps and Tyga was wiggling down to walk. Abby didn’t have to offer her a hand because Tyga willingly held hers as they walked. The child hadn’t spoken a word since they had found her, but she seemed content to hold Abby’s hand. She petite. Her frame small, but fairly lean for a child. Brunette curls with a multitude of red and blonde sun highlights fell down past her shoulders while bulky clothing swallowed her. It was her eyes that seemed so unique though. They were big and wide with curiosity, but their color was a silver Abby had never seen before. 

She was silent the entire walk to Camp Jaha. Every once in a while she would tug on Abby’s hand and point at something. Her eyes would light up and Abby couldn’t help but smile back as she enthused over whatever the little girl thought was important to share with her.

The last mile, however, Tyga’s little feet started to drag. The once tight hold on Abby’s hand had loosened and she seemed to be almost dozing off while walking. The pain in Abby’s side was only getting worse with her shirt sticking against it but she was about to pick the little girl up when Marcus stepped in. 

He didn’t say anything. He just stopped walking, turned around, and opened his arms up to her. Tyga didn’t even hesitate. Instantly she went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground. Abby tried to hide her shock but she couldn’t. Marcus Kane was good with children. Looking back she could recall his occasional interaction with Wells and Clarke as children, but this was different. 

The smug smile he gave her made her glare at him before shaking her head and letting herself smile. This time it was she that walked a little too close to him since his hand wasn’t on her back. It only took a few moments before Tyga rested her head against Marcus’s shoulder and those big silver eyes found Abby once again. A sleepy smile greeted Abby and she instinctively took ahold of the little girl’s dangling hand and to press a kiss to it. 

“When we arrive, I’ll have Davidson set up an extra cot in your quarters.”

In one sentence, the reality of what Abby had done sank in. She took a child away from her village to save her, yes, but now she was in charge of one more life. Not in charge like she was with her people but… she had just taken on a child.

The terror of the situation must have shown on her face because Marcus once again stopped walking. “Abby,” he called to her, making her look at him. “You made the right decision.”

“I just decided to take a child home with me. A child! My daughter is grown and hates me most of the time. I have hundreds of people to keep safe and even more to save, and I decide to bring a baby into the mess?” 

Her voice was low but panicked. What had she done? She just wanted to take the girl out of harm’s way and now she was walking her into her own mess of a life. 

Marcus took a step closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it. “You saved her, Abby. You gave this little girl a chance and saved her. I have seen you with Clarke, with Raven, with children on the Ark. You love them and you are a great mother.” He looked her in the eye, willing her to see what he saw. That there was nothing to worry about because if anyone could take on a raising a child at a time like this, it was her. “You can help her, Abby.”

Abby swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded. “But what if something happens to me?”

Marcus’s hand tightened on her shoulder before he slid it down her arm to take her hand. “Nothing is going to happen to you as long as I’m here and I’ll always be right here.”

The thing was, Earth had been a new kind of hell and filled with more questions than answers. However, the thing she was most sure of since her feet had touched the soil was that Marcus Kane meant those words. 

Their hands stayed joined for a moment longer before he released his hold and slid his hand back to its spot on her back as they walked through the clearing toward the gate of Camp Jaha. Things had changed again, but Abby was fairly sure she would appreciate this changes a bit better than the ones before.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of whimpers startled her awake where she was met by a warm little body pressed as tightly to her torso as it could possibly get. Tiny hands were knotted in her shirt as warm, wet tears slid down the scrunched up little face and onto Abby’s chest where Tyga’s head rested below her chin. Abby instantly wrapped her arms the little one and cradled her to her crest as she sat up. 

“Tyga, baby,” Abby cooed as she tried to brush away loose strands of curly hair but Tyga refused to loosen her death grip on her shirt. “Tyga?” 

Her whimpers slowly started to subside just as Abby began to register the painful throb starting in her side from the burn. Still, she held steady as Tyga’s tense body began to relax again against her. The little girl’s breathing changed as her head lifted and silver eyes searched the face of the woman who held her. 

Abby brushed away the fallen tears from the child’s face as she searched her eyes. “You’re safe,” Abby whispered combing her fingers through the dark curls and slowly working out the knots and the braids. 

Tyga kept watching her. Carefully she reached up and placed her tiny hands on Abby’s face. They lingered on either of her cheeks for a long time until they slowly moved down toward her mouth, gently covering her lips. 

Without a second thought, Abby took both the little hands in one of hers and pressed a kiss against her fingers. In an instant, all the hesitations in those silver eyes vanished as she threw her arms around Abby’s neck and wrapping her legs tightly around Abby’s middle. The ragged breathing that shook her told Abby the little girl was crying, but completely silently. 

After several minutes, Abby pulled the little girl back. Tyga’s face was puffy and red but she seemed so truly happy to see a friendly face. 

The slightly overwhelming reality that this child had imprinted on her was as equally terrifying as the fact Abby was attached as well. With all the difficulty she had been having with Clarke, it was nice to actually have that maternal connection be put to good use. Abby settled Tyga on her lap as she tried to put her boots on around her. Tyga sensed Abby’s difficulty and scooted to sit directly next to Abby while she grabbed her own shoes.

“Abby?” Marcus called from the outside of her quarters. His tone testing if she was awake yet. It must have been early if he was so hesitant.

“You can come in,” she replied pulling on the second boot while smirking at Tyga doing the same. 

Marcus cleared his throat awkwardly as he walked in. His eyes swept the room before landing on Tyga who cautiously looked up at him. For a moment she just stood there before bolting over to Abby and wrapping her arms around her leg. 

Abby chuckled at Marcus’s surprise. “Tyga, don’t you remember Marcus from yesterday? He carried you into camp?” 

Whether the girl could understand or speak English was yet to be determined, but Abby strongly believed in speaking to her normally. Tyga surprised them all when she looked up at Abby curiously and then back to Marcus. She pressed the side of her face against Abby’s leg and nodded nervously at the man. Even the littlest bit of communication was a start. 

“Clarke has been attached to that radio,” Marcus explained. “But since she hasn’t come storming in here yet I thought we could get some food into the kid.”

His dark eyes sparkled in Tyga’s direction and the fear disappeared from her. Instead she hid a smile as she turned completely into Abby. It was a feeling Abby could completely understand, after all Marcus had the same effect on her.

A comforting hand ran down Tyga’s hair before she took her hand. “I think we both could eat,” Abby confirmed as she walked the little girl closer to him. His grin made a small giggle escape from the girl before he offered his hand as well. Again, Tyga surprised them by happily taking it and sending the most childishly innocent smile his way. 

Marcus beamed at Abby in return and she happily returned the smile. It felt so good and so wrong. The domesticity of the situation was doing things to Abby’s mind making her mind want things that she had a much easier time silencing when he wasn’t holding the hand of a little girl that had claimed her heart and giving her that easy smile that let loose butterflies in her stomach. 

However, before they made it to the mess tent Raven was jogging toward them. “Hey! Clarke is looking for you two,” she called stopping short to give the child an odd look. She had seen Tyga enter with them the day before, but she had assumed Abby would pass the kid off to the usual caretakers of the orphans Earth had created. But this one seemed to have attached onto Abby the moment Raven’s eyes landed on her. She let go of Marcus’s hand to bury herself against Abby’s leg. 

Raven watched as Abby gently placed her hand on the child’s back and rubbed calming circles. It was odd to see Abby so physical with anyone, especially a child. With Clarke she always seemed like she wanted to be closer to her but Clarke was always set on set on being independent. As she looked back up, she noticed that Marcus had instinctively moved closer to both of them. 

It almost made Raven chuckle. For two very intelligent people, they sure could be stupid. 

“Tyga needs to eat,” Abby told reminded Marcus while sending a look to Raven. “Tell Clarke that it can wait fifteen minutes.”

Raven smirked. Clarke didn’t like to be kept waiting. “I’ll let her know.” 

Marcus and Abby exchanged a glance. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

Abby watched as Raven turned on her heels and slowly Tyga came out from behind her. She wrapped both of her hands around Abby’s as she gently tugged to be lifted up. Obviously the little one did not trust Sky People at all.

“At least she trusts you,” Marcus mused with a smile as Tyga tucked her head against the crook of Abby’s neck. The smile that tugged at Abby’s lips was one that truly came from her heart. It was such a wonderful feeling to feel Tyga clinging so closely into her. 

“Let’s get some food, yeah?” Abby whispered into her hair. 

There was a slide nod from the girl and Abby’s heart melted again. Communication, though very minimal was great. Of course she would love for Tyga to speak, but they could work toward that. 

As they made their way toward the mess tent, Marcus pointed at a table for Abby to go ahead and have a seat at while he grabbed their food. So many pair of eyes were on them as Tyga buried her body closer to Abby’s, locking her ankles behind her back. 

“They’re just curious,” Abby whispered, but just as she was about to pry the little girl’s grip away to settle her more comfortably a large boot smashed down beside her. 

Her eyes flickered up to see the broad shouldered abrasiveness of a man glaring down at her with two other men on either side. “Chancellor Griffin is now spearing food for grounder trash?” 

A large hand grabbed a hold of Tyga’s arm and yanked her backward just was Abby’s hold on her tightened. Tyga cried out in pain as she used her free arm to wrap tighter around Abby’s neck. 

Abby’s brown eyes looked only dangerous as she pulled Tyga away from him and stood up. “Take a walk, before I call for the guard.”

All three of them men laughed menacingly while Tyga trembled. “From what I hear, you’re not in charge anymore.” 

He reached out to grab Abby when Marcus came into her sight line and twisted the out stretched arm behind his back. In one swift moment, the man was kicked from his back side and was face first in the dirt between his two buddies. 

“You heard wrong,” Marcus hissed as he nodded at Sinclair. 

As soon as guards were there, Marcus turned back to Abby and Tyga. Instantly he was at their side, one hand on the small of Abby’s back while the other was on Tyga’s. She was wrapped so tightly in Abby’s grip that neither were sure they would let go anytime soon. 

Abby pushed past him and headed toward the medic bay. She didn’t speak as Marcus followed her on her heels. 

As soon as she enter Jackson gave her an odd look, but she was set on ignoring it while she gently settle Tyga on her lap to check her arm. Her shoulder was already out bruising and it seemed to have be pulled out of socket but popped itself back in. Abby looked at Tyga’s face and noticed her lip pulled between her teeth and tears in her eyes but she was really was trying not to cry. 

“Oh, baby, it’s okay to cry,” Abby cooed to her as she pushed all the dark curls away from her face and rested her forehead against hers. All Abby wanted to do was take all the pain away, but not as a doctor. Her heart was breaking for this little girl and she couldn’t make herself stand up and get her some pain meds. 

A whimper cracked through Tyga’s lips as she looked desperately into Abby’s eyes, but it was quickly followed by a sob. 

The scene was heart wrenching as Marcus stood to the side watching Abby’s heart break. Jackson came up behind him and looked at Abby with a syringe in hand. Abby nodded as she turned Tyga’s chin to meet her eyes again. “Jackson is going to give you a shot, and it’s going to hurt a little at first but it will make you feel better,” Abby assured her. 

Again Tyga nodded and pressed her face against Abby’s chest as Jackson took a hold of her arm. Her sobs had settled and she had only tense slightly at the feeling of the needle. 

After a few minutes Marcus realized that Tyga had cried herself to sleep. It was only when Abby looked back up at him that he realized she had cried with Tyga. Marcus pulled Abby into his without thinking. For a moment her head rested on his shoulder while Tyga rested between them. It was incredibly intimate and all Abby could do was revel in their closeness. 

“I thought you were getting breakfast?” 

Clarke’s callous voice startled them all. Marcus cleared his throat as he stepped away from Abby, only just noticing her hand had been clinging to his shirt as she cried into his neck. Quickly she wiped her tears away before looking up at her daughter who seemed to hold her usual look of disapproval. 

They seemed to be completely unable to get along and it killed Abby but she refused to budge on her beliefs. Of course Clarke inherited her stubbornness. 

“I need Kane to go to TonDC,” she said immediately. “I’m needed here.”

Abby blanched at her as she shifted Tyga so she could stand. “Excuse me?” 

Marcus took a deep breath as he looked at them. “Maybe your mother should go, she is the chancellor.”

The look that past between the three of them was heavy, but Clarke shook her head. “Lexa respects you, Kane. You should go. Mom should stay here, where she is needed.”

Without another word, Clarke turned and was out of the room. The leaders of the twelve clans were meeting in TonDC and obviously Clarke was putting off her meeting there with them for more information from Bellamy she was sure.

Marcus exchanged a look with her. “The crown is heavy,” he reminded her as Abby rolled her eyes. 

“She shouldn’t be wearing the crown and you shouldn’t be supporting her.” 

To Abby, the answer was simple enough. Stop humoring Clarke with power and she will stop thinking she has it. However Marcus knew that if Lexa saw Clarke as their leader it was only smart to follow that lead. 

“You can stay with Tyga here,” Marcus reminded her. “She trusts you.”

Abby looked at the child in her arms and grudgingly nodded. Without another word Marcus turned around to prepare for his journey while Abby found herself rocking the only child who would allow her to be a parent.


	3. Chapter 3

Abby was in pain. Yes, physically, but it was so much more than that. She felt like her heart was constantly screaming in agony at the realization her daughter had left. Clarke was gone and Abby had no idea where she was. It wasn’t safe for Tyga to be out of her or Marcus’s sight due to outraged citizen of Camp Jaha fed up with grounders. Not that Marcus was allowing Abby out of his sight either unless they were in medical or in her quarters. Being out and about camp or anywhere, she could feel Marcus’s eyes on them until his shift was over and he was able to join them.

She wasn’t sure when it happened, but he had moved into her quarters. At first she brushed it off as his overprotectiveness since Mount Weather, but as she slowly started to be able to put more weight on her leg, she decided Marcus was simply worried about leaving Tyga with so many disgruntled people nearby. Granted none of these things explained why she was suddenly sharing a bed with the man and could not even close her eyes until his arms were wrapped around her where she felt safe and warm. It also didn’t explain why he held her hand the entire eight miles back to camp from Mount Weather. 

“Mama?”

Abby looked down from her work space to see Tyga sitting under the table. Mama. The idea of ever being mama again seemed simply irrational. Even when she had taken in Tyga, part of her was sure she would find her a place in a home that would love to take a child, yet she too quickly imprinted on Abby’s heart for any other situation to occur. Abby was Mama to a silver eyed little girl who was completely positive Abby controlled the way the Earth moved.

“Yes, baby?” 

She couldn’t hide her smile at the slightly mischievous look on the adorable little face. Tyga crawled out from under the table and sat on the floor next to Abby’s feet. “We play soon, Mama?”

It was already nearing sunset and Tyga had been patiently entertaining herself while Abby took stock of everything they had and needed for the upcoming weeks. It was starting to get colder out and some of the people were coming down with minor illnesses. She was quick to keep Tyga away from them, but there was a realization that Tyga probably had a better immunity than the rest of them. Still, Abby tried to play it safe. Which was difficult when Tyga was all about learning everything her mother was doing. 

“Mama’s a healer,” Tyga had whispered to Marcus one day. It had been the first words she had ever spoken and he nearly dropped the patrol schedule he was making. All three of them were in the medical bay but they were far from alone. Abby and Jackson had their hands full with patients and Abby had still been struggling to get around with a crutch and a significant limp. The shock on Marcus’s face quickly turned into a sentimental smile. 

“I bet if you asked she would teach you to be a healer too,” Marcus replied loving the way her silver eyes lit up at the idea. In an instant the little girl was shyly walking up to Abby until her little hand gripped onto Abby’s jacket. Abby had seen the girl coming, but was still giving instructions to a patient so she place her hand on Tyga’s back and rubbed little circles until she could offer the girl her attention.

“Yes, baby?” Abby asked as she walked Tyga away from the sick patients and a bit closer to Marcus. 

“I wanna be a healer too, Mama.”

For the first time since Clarke left, Abby smiled. It was a watery but heart felt smile that felt like her heart had just grown from the overwhelming love she had for this little girl. Trying her best to kneel on her good knee, she lowered herself to the child’s level. Marcus tried to be inconspicuous as he watched, but Abby’s teary eyes fell on him and he could only beam back at her. She deserved this. She deserved to be revered and treasured by a little girl who though she hung the moon. Just as Tyga deserved to be revered and cherished like Abby was eagerly ready to do. “You know, I was just telling Jackson that we needed an apprentice, and I think you’re just right for the job.”

Silver eyes gleamed as Tyga threw her arms around Abby’s neck. It was the first time since Mount Weather that Abby thought maybe she really would be okay.

Abby turned to Jackson as Tyga leaned into her mother’s leg. “Do you have this? I promised Tyga we would play outside for a bit today, before it got too dark to do so.”

Jackson turned toward his friend and smiled at the little girl he too had become fond of. “Absolutely. Let the future doctor get her well-rounded education with some play time.”

The little girl beamed at him before she slid her hand into her mother’s. She was nearly jumping up and down as she pressed her cheek into her mama’s arm.

Abby’s leg was still sore, but one thing she learned from Clarke was that they are only small enough to carry around once. She lifted Tyga up into her arms and kissed her nose before peppering her cheeks with love too. The little girl giggled happily. 

“Mama, stop!” she laughed as Abby tickled her mercilessly as she carried her toward the gate. Tyga had a favorite spot just inside the tree line. It was more familiar to her than the openness of Camp Jaha.

“What’s the magic word?” Abby taunted as her fingers continued their attack on the little girl’s stomach. 

“Papa!” Tyga yelled making Abby tickle her even more. 

“That’s not the magic word, silly girl!”

Tyga’s eyes focused on something behind Abby, but she didn’t have a chance to react before a pair of hands was on her sides. She yelped, surprising herself as she wiggled away from the new assault. Tyga managed to maneuver her escape. She landed on the ground a little hard, but the girl was completely unaffected.

“Get Mama, Tyga!”

Marcus’s words were hot on her neck and she shivered as he held her tight against him. Tyga attacked her mama’s stomach just as Abby had done to her. She was trapped against Marcus’s body and if she tried to move forward she risked knocking over Tyga. 

“Marcus!” she cried, trying to not to call attention to them. He had to have been waiting for them because she took the back exit of medical that had less foot traffic than just about everywhere else in the camp. 

“Abby!” he mocked. She could practically feel his smile against her hair as she squirmed. 

“Tyga, help Mama!” Abby pleaded as the little girl took a step back, giggling through hard breaths. 

“Papa,” Tyga whined suddenly changing back to her mother’s side and wrapped her arms around Abby’s waist trying to protect her. Marcus’s hands ceased allowing Abby to scoop up Tyga again and turn around to look at him. 

It was easy to see that Marcus already had a full day. His hair was a mess and his clothes seemed a bit dirtier than usual and there was an energy to him. “Hello,” Marcus teased as Abby playfully hit him in the chest. Both Abby and Tiger were out of breath.

“You scared me half to death!” Abby scolded despite her own big smile. 

“I brought dinner,” Marcus offered with a grin as he held up a backpack. “How is my girl?”

Tyga’s arms and legs were both wrapped around Abby’s waist but she did stick her tongue out at her papa. Marcus offered his arms up to Tyga and she happily moved into his arms before he pressed a kiss to the side of her head before lifting the girl onto his shoulders. Every time he did that Abby held her breath. She always had the mental image of Tyga falling off backward and cracking her head open. 

Her paranoia was endearing to Marcus. With one hand around Tyga’s ankle, Marcus placed his free hand on the middle of Abby’s back as they silently headed toward the back gate. “Dinner Papa?” Tyga asked looking over Marcus’s head to try and look him in the eye. 

“Please sit right, I don’t want you to fall,” Abby interrupted placing her hand on Tyga’s shoulder to make sure she didn’t tumble of the top of Marcus’s head. 

“I asked Gigi if she could make something special for her favorite trouble maker.” Marcus grinned as he turned to Abby. “So Gigi made Mama her favorite!”

Abby sucker punched him in the arm as Tyga let out a loud laugh. 

It was so surreal how easily they had fallen into being co-parents when it was not even a year ago they were literally ready to kill each other. Now Abby couldn’t imagine a day without him. She needed his light teasing and his protective nature. She needed the strong force that he was and it was amazing the difference it made when it was propelling her forward rather than pushing against her. 

If it wasn’t for Marcus Kane Abby wasn’t sure where she would be now. Definitely not raising another little girl who looked at her like she was the sun, Seeing Marcus as “Papa” was more than anything she could have imagined. Especially since he was just so good at it. Tyga adored Marcus. He was probably her second favorite person (following just behind Abby) and he treated the little girl like a princess. His princess. 

They all walked together out of the fence and toward the little spot they claimed as their own. Sometimes Abby would imagine that they would really live there one day. Marcus could build them a home and Abby could look out and have a clear view of wherever Tyga was playing. It was a fanciful dream, but one that helped Abby doze at night with her head tucked under Marcus’s chin and his arms tightly around her. It was the only way she could sleep. 

He plucked Tyga off his shoulders and set her back on her feet. “You can play while Mama and I set up the picnic. Stay close.”

The silver eyed child nodded before taking off between the trees. Abby watched after nervously while Marcus chuckled. “Abby, she knows these woods better than any of us.”

“Still doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.”

The force of the blanket it hitting her in the back of her head had her stumbling forward before shooting a glare at Marcus. The blanket landed on the forest floor but that wasn’t the issue. The dry air had caused Abby’s head to have static. It was flying out in every direction and she struggled to tame it. 

“Here,” Marcus said with a smile. She could feel him behind her, his hands gently smoothing her hair. “I’ll help.”

Without thinking, she leaned into the comfort of his touch and was lost to the smile he wore as her eyes slid shut. Abby Griffin like her hair played with. Not that he didn’t already know this. When she would try and get Tyga to lie down for a nap, she would gently massage her scalp as Tyga played with the ends of Abby’s hair. Half the time Marcus would come back an hour later and find them both asleep. 

Abby snapped herself out of it when the sound of a startled cry sounded from the forest. They froze for a moment before releasing the held breath in her as a happy giggle followed. Marcus poked her ribs, making her squirm as he gave her a knowing smirk. 

“She’s just having fun.”

She gave him a smile, or somewhat of a smile though she didn’t even glance up at him. It was beautiful. The serenity Abby found in being a mother to such a sweet child. 

Together they unfolded the blanket and Abby unpacked the lunch Gigi had packed for them. It was really just some jerky rations and three pieces for fruit. Marcus always gave Abby half his fruit and refused to accept anything in return. She usually was sneaky enough to give him a piece of her jerky, but they were both firstly concerned with making sure Tyga had enough to eat. She was looking healthier from the days when they first brought her home. More skin on her bones, happier and safe. 

“Mama?” Tyga called as Abby let herself fall back onto the blanket and look up where the trees met the sky. 

“Yes, baby?” Abby asked tilting her head back to see Tyga crawling toward her on her hands and knees until her dark curls curtaining their faces, making the little girl burst into giggles. Those big silver eyes stared cheekily into her mother’s dark brown ones as she giggled contagiously.

Abby planted a kiss on Tyga’s nosed just as Marcus picked the girl up by her sides and carefully flipped her over to where she was laying on Abby’s torso, the back of her head laying comfortable on Abby’s crest. Abby placed one hand on both of Tyga’s over Tyga’s stomach. Marcus laid down next to them, his hand finding Abby’s between them. 

“Can we sleep here, Mama?” Tyga asked as Abby tried not to let herself fall into the patterns Marcus’s thumb was making on the back of her hand. 

“I told you, baby, it’s not safe right now,” Abby whispered to her daughter as the sunset started to pain the sky. They would be out past dark for sure, which Abby already didn’t like. “You would get cold and maybe get sick,” 

But the little girl shook her head. “I’m warm with Mama and Papa.” 

There was a slight chuckle from beside her from Marcus. He knew that Abby loved their daughter but Abby still had not gotten used to sleeping outside. She felt safest in their nice little quarters, with Marcus’s arms around her and her hand dangling off the side of the bed where it hung to rub Tyga’s back. 

“One day, when it’s warmer, Mama and I will take you camping, I promise.”

Abby tossed him a glare as Tyga nodded softly against her chest. “Sissy too?”

Neither of them had planned on that. The little time Tyga had spent with Clarke, it was clear that neither of them quite knew how to take each other. Tyga would stand with her face pressed into Abby’s hip while Clarke was always fighting. Many days Abby wished Tyga had known the old Clarke. Her daughters were both fighters. Marcus would quickly point out that the stubbornness and a trait Abby gave them. Even with Tyga not being blood, she had plenty of Abby-isms.

“You know, princess,” Marcus began shifting himself up to get a better look at the two most important people in the camp to him. “I think we should eat and then make sure we can get Mama back so she can sleep before she goes back and heals people.”

He plucked her up and placed her in his lap, offering her the fruit first. Abby sat up and moved in closer to Marcus to keep the breeze of off her. 

Their picnic dinner was peaceful, but by the they headed back it was dark and Tyga was filled with her usual night energy. She was always bouncing off the walls with energy as soon as the night turned cold. Marcus always took over more at night. Abby was the kind of person to crawl into bed with a book from Mount Weather. It didn’t matter that she continuous reread the same five books. It helped her fall asleep. 

Nightmares were there for all of them, but Abby lived silently in her pain. She never screamed in her sleep, only startled awake just in time to see Marcus’s face covered in sweat, whimpering her name and begging for her life. She would roll over on her side and press her forehead into his, taking his hand to her lips and kissing his palm over and over again. She would whisper to him that she was there until he woke with fearful eyes staring into hers. 

“Dammit Abby,” he’d mutter as his arms would pull her tightly against him. “I can’t lose you.”

His lips would press to her nose, then her forehead and her hairline until she was completely tucked into his body. “You won’t lose me, Marcus.”

The rest of her night would consist of her trying her best to sleep as she clung to Marcus as tightly as he clung to her. Tyga’s occasional whimpers typically ended with Marcus crawling over Abby to collect their little one too. Most night, the three of them would end up sleeping on the slightly larger than average cot that Marcus had spent three days making by himself. He was no carpenter, but he had been dedicated to the cause. His family.

“Marcus?” Abby whispered as their tired little girl slept with her makeshift teddy bear Lincoln had “found” for her. He looked up from his makeshift desk where he had been working on the training schedule for the new cadets. “Blow out that light and lay down.”

He smirked at her exhausted expression as she shifted over to her side to make more room for him. “I just have a little more work to do.”

“Marcus,” Abby hummed giving him a firm look. “Tyga is asleep and dawn in going to be here before you know it. As your doctor, I think you should come over here and sleep.”

He knew that really she was tired and ready for him to come lay down with her. Not that he minded. Putting his pencil down, he leaned over and blew out the lantern. There was enough light from the moon to see Abby’s silhouette slide under the scratchy blanket and pull it back enough for him to join her. 

She pressed her lips to his as he pulled her to his chest and held her close. She was not shy about kissing him in those soft and innocent ways. They were closer. They had a comfortable life. If she thought about it too much, she would be scared how easily the gentle kisses were. 

They settled in each other’s arms. Abby’s hand slid up and down Tyga’s back off the side of the bed. 

“She’s perfect isn’t she?” 

Abby smiled at Marcus’s words as his hand gave her hip a gentle squeeze. 

“Yes,” Abby assured him. He was very new to fatherhood and the way he marveled in it was something that she found endearing and beautiful. Being a mother again was something Abby always quietly wanted, never wishing for the impossible because she didn’t want to have the heart ache. Tyga was the very image of perfection for her, for them. 

To Marcus, the feeling was more than just a fulfilled dream. It was a love he had never known before. It was his salvation. The best salvation that he could imagine. Not just Tyga, but Abby.


	4. Chapter 4

Marcus Kane rarely was at a loss for words, but they seemed to completely escape him as he watched Abby brush out her long brown hair as she Tyga sat in her lap happily telling her mama about the excitements Octavia had brought her that day. 

Beautiful. 

Abby Griffin was absolute the most stunning creature on the Earth. She had always been beautiful, any man could easily see that, but there was so much more than that now. For so long she had been jaded and angry not only at him but at the world. She continuously fought for what she believed in, which was attractive in itself, but now she was different. 

Every day she worried more and more about Clarke, but she also had Tyga. Her life had been one thing being thrown at her after another ever since she lost Jake, but Tyga was a light in the darkness that had been swallowing up her world for much too long. The pain was still there, but now she had so much joy in being a mama to a silver eyed child that wanted to love her just as much… It changed her. 

“Hi Papa,” Tyga called, noticing him standing in the doorway of their quarters. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt the very adorable conversation that they were having about Tyga having to practice writing her letter in the mud because “Tavia was too busy kissin’ Lincoln to remember paper.” 

“Hi, princess,” Marcus mused at his daughter as he walked to his girls, pressing a kiss to both of their heads before moving past them to reach his desk. Abby gave him a kind smile as she pulled the front of her hair back to keep it out of her face. “Hello, Abby.”

There was nothing but affection to her returned smile. “Marcus.” It was those eyes. The pure emotion that filled every look. When she was angry, she was furious, but when she was loving… Marcus wanted her to look at him with that much love all the time. He knew it was because she was with Tyga, but he would take in the joys of happy Abby everyday he could. 

“Can I ask now, Mama?” Tyga whispered loudly as Abby tried to tie back her hair with a squirming little girl in her lap. 

“After he’s eaten,” Abby replied just as loudly, grinning over at him teasingly. Her brown as sparkled and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was even a flirtatious glint to her smile as she played with Tyga’s hair. “That’s when he’s happiest.”

Sure, he’d let her believe that. Really, he was happiest when she was sleepily telling their little girl stories all while she was curled up in his arms, smelling of jasmine and fresh cut herbs. The way her voice was hoarse with sleep and how she would use unique voices for every character in Tyga’s bedtime story was more than just sweet, it really showed a whole other side to the tough and determined Abby Griffin. 

In reality, Tyga was Abby’s. He had a small fear that one day that would come back to hurt him. That little girl was the light of his life but if it wasn’t for Abby opening her big mouth and standing up to save her, they wouldn’t be nearly as blessed as they were now. 

“Or you can ask me now and pretend like I can hear you. Because I can hear you.” 

The cheeky smile on Abby’s face made his heart pound as she looked down at Tyga. “Papa is very curious.”

Tyga’s eye got even wider with excitement. “Can we please ask, Mama? Papa loves us. He’ll say yes.”

The laugh that broke out of Abby’s throat was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. Forget that he had been completely outed by his little girl about his feelings toward her mother. 

That was is. 

Marcus Kane was head over heels painfully in love with Abigail Griffin. So painfully in love with her that he was Tyga was absolutely right. If Abby and Tyga asked for the moon, he would find one way or another to give it to them. Anything to see them smile.

“Come here, Tyga,” Marcus called to his daughter, patting his leg. 

The little girl slid off her mother’s lap to climb onto his. She made herself comfortable on his lap as she crossed her legs on top of his and smiled at him. One of her hands playfully tugged on his beard. “Yes, Papa?” 

He kissed her head and pulled her a little closer. “Why don’t you go ahead and ask me, princess? Then you and Mama and I can eat.”

Silver eyes looked over at Abby to be sure, but she was met with only a big smile. She knew that Tyga was right. There was no way Marcus would say no to her. To them. Tyga was a Mama’s girl mostly, yes, but she loved her papa more than she loved almost anything. Abby spent more time with Tyga then she spent with almost anyone else. The only other people that came close were Jackson and Marcus. Jackson she worked with, and Marcus she lived with. 

“Papa,” she began sweetly, her big silver eyes batting in the sweetest way. “’Tavia and I found a pup in the woods. Mama said I can keep Poppy if you say I can.”

There wasn’t really a choice at all was there? Tyga had already named the dog. “Poppy, huh?” Marcus asked as he thought about it.

“Mama picked the name. I had trouble deciding,” Tyga explained making Marcus laugh at the slight blush that overcame Abby’s cheeks. “Mama said she looked like a Poppy.” 

“She does look like a Poppy,” Abby encouraged her little girl, giving Marcus a shy smile. There was a sudden urge he had to pull her over to him and kiss that shyness away. She should never be shy to him. Abby Griffin was never to blush at him. She was a strong and confident woman. Shy was something she never needed around him. 

“This Poppy,” Marcus tested the name on his lips. “You’ll be taking good care of her, right? You’ll keep her entertained and be sure she’s fed and played with?”

The sheer joy that enlightened Tyga’s face made him grin. “Oh yes, Papa! I promise!” 

Abby knew that Marcus was going to allow them, uh hm, Tyga to take in the pup, but she was trying her best not to show her own excitement. Pets were a new concept to her, but Tyga was not so new to it. She told Abby of the many kinds of pets and such that their people had and how they taught them to be loyal and kind. Tyga also explained that not just any animal can be tamed, but if found at the right age, it was nurture over natures. Of course the little girl didn’t use those exact terms, but that was the gist of it all. 

A limited supply of oxygen and water were no longer truly an issue. Even food was easy enough to gather. They were better fed and hydrated than they had ever been and taking on a pup wouldn’t been the worst idea. In fact, part of why Abby was so keen on the idea was because with any luck, the little girl would have a sleeping companion to keep her warm. That way Marcus and Abby were not constantly sharing a bed with the little one once the temperature dropped below a certain level.

If Abby needed to, she could explain that. But still the man might be as clueless as he had been over the last several months. They slept together, they kissed to comfort each other, to greet each other, and to say goodbye, but Marcus had never tried to express any such romantic feelings for her. They were so domestic that she almost ached for a romance that she didn’t know she really wanted. Of course she was happy with her little family that she had somehow obtained, but she quietly wanted more than that.

The morning that she woke with Marcus’s arms wrapped around her and his legs entwined with hers were the most magical of mornings. She forgot what the pain of life was and instead felt the joys of it. She could listen to the soft sounds of Tyga’s peaceful snoozing as well as the heat of Marcus’s breath on her neck or face. She loved him. 

She didn’t doubt that. 

Of course it scared her a bit but only bt the idea. The actual feeling of love was so beautiful and pure that she was sure that she could spend the rest of her days in a sort of trance of their almost love. Raising a child together, sleeping together, sharing secrets of their fears and concerns. They could live that life and it would be fuller than the life she had lived since Jake left. 

She was in love. She knew it though she didn’t dare allow herself to think too much on the topic. She preferred to think that he was comfortable. That this feeling that was overwhelming her was a peace she had never experienced rather than her heart finding love in the possibly worst candidate that she would have thought possible. 

Plucking the little girl off his lap Abby spun Tyga around. “Let’s go get Poppy before Papa changes his mind!”

Marcus watched as Abby covered Tyga’s face with kisses before she offered out a hand to him. She was happily tucked into her mother, her head on her mother’s shoulder until Marcus claimed her instead. He wanted to hold Abby’s hand as they walked. He liked that they had this comfort. That he could hold her hand and kiss her hair in such a domestic way that it didn’t scare the beautiful butterfly that was the woman he loved. 

The minute the three of them arrived in Octavia’s quarters, it was clear that the girl was a bit disappointed. Some part of her wanted to keep the wolf pup to herself. After all, it would be twice the size of Tyga in no time and sure Abby would be hesitant to let such a large creature around her precious angel. 

Still, the look in Tyga’s eyes when she saw the grey and white pup made even Lincoln chuckle. 

“So why Poppy?” Marcus asked Abby quietly as Tyge played with her new companion as well as her friends that were as out of place in the camp as she was. 

A pink blush tinted Abby’s cheeks as she glanced down at her feet before raising her head again and looking at Tyga. “The truth?” Abby sighed, casting Marcus a glance. She could see his pure interest as she bit her lower lip. The truth was she never thought she would be having this conversation with anyone, much less Marcus. Still, she couldn’t think of anyone else in the world she would rather tell. 

“Of course,” he replied, giving her hand a slight squeeze. They were still holding hands. Just holding hands, sitting on Octavia and Lincoln’s bed like it was completely normal for two people who swore they were not romantically involved to hold hands and sit shoulder to shoulder. He could even smell the jasmine form the herbs she had been cutting. 

She sighed again and looked down at their hands. Carefully she moved even a bit closer to him, resting their joined hands on her leg. She used her free hand to trace patterns on the back of his hand that raised goosebumps along his arms. “The one child law,” she began quietly, too nervous to look up at him. “One child per family.” 

Following his instinct, Marcus gave her hand a soft squeeze to continue even though it was quite clear that whatever she was going to tell him, she probably hadn’t told anyone in her life. That’s who they were now. They didn’t have friends anymore, not really. Marcus had lost his mother and his best friend, Abby had lost her daughter and most of her faith in the human race, and now they stood together and so alone. 

“Jake and I had discussed names for a long time. The reason we decided to go with Clarke was multiple reasons, but overall we decided it as a unisex name.” Abby sighed and looked up at the little girl giggling as a ball of fluff with four paws and a pink tongue attacked her sweet face. “Clarke was a daddy’s girl, through and through. Ever since she was little, she didn’t want me, she wanted her daddy. I wasn’t really hurt. We had our moments, but we got along and didn’t get along because she is so much like me.”

A sad laugh crackled through Abby’s lips as a tear fell from her eye. She tried to wipe it away before he noticed, but he only caught her other hand from slipping away. Instead he brushed it away with his thumb and held her even closer. 

“Octavia, can you watch Tyga for a minute?” Marcus asked as he already stood Abby up. With a single glance from Octavia, she was immediately concerned by sight of Abby attempting to hide her tears. Unfortunately, Tyga also noticed. 

“Mama?” 

The voice was tiny and scared which only pulled at Abby’s heartstrings more. Taking a deep breath and willing her tears to stay back for at least a moment more, Abby turned around and gave her little girl a watery smile. 

“It’s okay, baby. Papa and I are just going to talk about something.”

The tight frown that fell on Tyga’s lips showed the little one’s concerned. “What did Sissy do?” 

There was a spark of anger to the words that would have made Abby laugh if wasn’t so clear that Tyga was sure Clarke was the reason behind Abby’s tears. After all, Clarke was a common reason next to physical pain. Abby forced a smile as she ran a hand over Tyga’s curls. 

Tyga’s arms hugged Abby’s thigh as she glared at Octavia and Lincoln, as though they might be the ones to blame. She didn’t even so much as bat her eye at Marcus. As far as she was concerned, her Papa would never ever make her mama cry. 

“Honey, it’s okay,” Abby assured her lifting her up in her arms and rubbing their noses together. “Stay with Octavia and Poppy. Papa and I will be back in just a little while.” The tears behind Abby’s eyes hit her harder as she pushed Tyga’s hair out of her face and smiled into those big grey eyes. “You are the sweetest little monster.”

Tyga laughed as Abby attacked her sides with tickles before plopping her back down on her feet. Lincoln took the opportunity to scoop Tyga up in one arm and the pup up in another. “Come on trouble,” he teased tossing the little girl roughly and playfully on the bed. “They’ll be back and your mama will be fine.”

He dropped the grey and white ball of fluff on top of her and the sound of giggles immediately made Abby smile again. Marcus’s hand slipped around her waist as he escorted her out. She pressed her face into his shoulder as a gust of icy wind greeted them. It was too cold to stay outside, especially in the light clothing they had changed into since they had both arrived back to their quarters. So he directed them toward the medical bay that would be empty at this time of night. It would probably still be cold, but at least it would keep the wind off of them. 

They didn’t speak until they were safely tucked inside. The sight of Abby’s shiver had Marcus pulling a blanket out of the storage and pulling it around them both. His body heat would warm her faster. Abby was so thin now. She had always been small, but now she was smaller. She still was healthy, but her body was trimmed with more muscle from the physical work Earth demanded of her, not to mention the coddling she did of Tyga. 

He was just as guilty of carrying her around as she was, but he still worried about her knee. Of course she probably did the same with Marcus’s leg. He would rather do the heavy lifting for his family, even if Tyga wasn’t heavy. He just didn’t want to see Abby wear herself any more than she already did. 

For a long moment the two of them stood together, wrapped up in the blanket. Abby’s arms tucked between them as her forehead pressed into his neck. With every shiver he attempted to hold her closer, willing her to take all his heat. 

“When did this happen, Marcus?” 

Her voice was a soft whisper that made him want to close his eyes. With her so close to him, her body molded perfectly to his, he did close his eyes. It was much too perfect. 

“When did what happen?” he replied after a long moment. His face tilting towards her when he felt her eyes on him. Perfect brown orbs were glittering up at him tearfully as she took several long moments to study him. 

The roughness of his beard, the gentleness of his hands, the heat pulsing off his body in such a way that was both comforting and maddening. 

When did she fall in love with him? When did she let that happen? Because even as she thought on it, she realized that it was probably before she had been strapped down and heard him begging for her life, before he had been trapped under rubble and she made him fight to stay alive, probably before she took Tyga into her arms and declared her a member of her people whom she would protect with Marcus by her side. 

“When did we happen?” she sighed with the exhaustion she felt that had been building since they had landed on Earth. She could feel him tense, but she knew she was right. He was in love with her too. She saw it in his eyes, she felt it in his touch, it was in every gesture he made to her. Her heart was tied to him and in complete honesty she loved it. Earth wasn’t her home, Marcus was. 

There was a moment where he let out his breath. For a moment she was sure he was going to brush it off as a laugh slowly bubbled from his chest. Her cheeks started to burn pink and tears were pricking at her eyes as she prepared the best she could for Marcus Kane to break her heart. 

“You have to get the one up all the time, don’t you?” he asked, pulling back just enough to grin down at her. “I make a plan to have Octavia take Tyga tomorrow and you have no patience.”

He hung his head and laughed harder at the bewildered look on Abby’s face. Suddenly Abby was stepping away from him, letting the blanket fall to the floor. He kept laughing as Abby’s bewilderment slowly melted into frustration. 

“Marcus Kane, I am trying to have a heart to heart with you and you-“

Suddenly he had stepped back into her space. His hands cupping her face as he beamed down at her. “You are the most impatient woman,” he mused affectionately before tilting his head toward hers and inching closer to her lips.

She was in a panic. This wasn’t exactly what she expected… was it? A moment ago she was questioning how they had become so codependent, a moment after that she was ready to become independent by knocking his ass off the face of the planet, now she was millimeters away from kissing him. She was going to kiss Marcus. 

“I love you,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against her and looked into her eyes. 

All the air was vacuumed out of her lungs as she blinked helplessly at him. He said it. Was she expecting him to say it? Was she going to say it? She didn’t actually plan to. She more along the line wanted them to make it very clear they were a family. That they were going to be there for each other. That neither of them were going anywhere even if Tyga wasn’t involved. 

Holy hell. She was going to tell him she loved him. 

But now, all words escaped her as he smirked back at the wordless Abby. Stunning Abigail Griffin into silence was probably the best thing he had ever seen in his life. Kissing Abigail Griffin was the best thing he had ever done in his life. 

She went up on her toes to press their lips together firmly. It was like she was making sure he was really there for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His hands went to her waist and he easily lifted her onto the counter to even the playing field. Abby Griffon knew how to kiss. She was passionate, loving, a whirlwind that took his breath away as she showed him that, yes, she loved him. More than she dared to ever purposely love. 

The emotions she had for him were like a hurricane. It overwhelmed her, drowned her, took her for everything she had, yet now that all the fighting was over, there was the most beautiful rainbow. The way his hands felt on her hips, her legs, even just the way they held her face. It was electric and it constantly made her feel like she was only ever testing a power source. Now he was a force, a powerhouse. He was all she could ever want and she couldn’t comprehend why she had never done this sooner. 

He pulled her flush against him. Their hips meeting at such a perfect angle that both of their breathing shuttered. They were going too fast. They couldn’t risk it. They had Tyga. 

Abby’s hands moved to his chest as she gently pushed him back. “Let’s not let everything happen in one night,” she told him, her lip barely hiding a smile that was so eager to sneak through. 

Marcus let out a small chuckle before he pressed his lips to hers again. This time it was softer, less urgent and more loving. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised her as he pulled back to meet her eyes again. He shook his head as he sighed. “I should have never have kissed you. How will I keep my hands off you ever again?”

A hearty laugh fell from Abby’s lips as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Part of why I lobbied so much for Poppy was because when winter comes, she will have something to keep her warm.” Her eyes sparkled. “Something that keeps her out of our bed.”

His hands on her hips tightened and she laughed again. “I really like how you think when you’re thinking for us.”

She flashed a grin at him and slowly pulled away. The moment the cold hit her skin it raised goosebumps after leaving the warmth of his body. “Poppy was what I always wanted to name a little girl,” Abby explained, picking up her conversation from earlier. Her eyes were still a little sad, but not nearly as they were before. “However fate named my second child Tyga instead. Tyga Kane.”

Of course Marcus knew he was Tyga’s papa, but to hear any name with his surname attached to it made his heart rush. The look on his face made Abby’s own heart sing as she stepped closer to him once again. “Marcus?” she said softly, her hand sliding up his chest, up his neck and finally caressed his jaw. “I love you.”

The grin that came over Marcus’s face was one of the smuggest she had ever seen come from him. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone catches the Star Wars reference I'll love you forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> REALLY long chapter. However I hope everyone enjoys it.

Exhaustion was just a state of being. Tyga had gotten more used to her parent constantly in the Chancellor’s makeshift office while they sent her to spend time with Octavia or Raven.

She didn’t complain. First of all she liked both girls. They were interesting and smart in different ways that had Tyga entertained for hours at a time. She knew better than to bother her parents with asking for too much attention when they were so busy trying to keep the sky people safe. Instead she rode horses with a wooden sword in hand as Octavia taught her the proper way to protect herself and rummaged through things from Mount Weather with Raven. It no longer felt like she was a grounder among people who she couldn’t understand. Rather than she was just at home. 

Even the treecru clothing that she had worn dedicatedly had changed into a tan t-shirt and cargo pants that had been found in Mount Weather. The moment she picked it out, Raven laughed. She looked like a mini Abby with her hair halfway braided away from her face and her hands on her hips with determination. The little girl was definitely her mother’s, blood or not. 

Somehow Abby Griffin had found a little girl that needed exactly what she needed to give. They had an sweet family dynamic with Marcus Kane perfecting it. The day that Raven watched him trade the watch he had owned since the ark for a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant that had “daddy’s princess” engraved on the back, she was sold. Any negative emotions she had toward the man melted away as she and several other watched him approach Tyga and Abby in the mess hall, shyly presenting the necklace to the little girl and explaining what was on the back.

It was clear that Abby was holding back tears the best she could as Tyga looked at the necklace in wonder. 

Abby and Marcus were another thing. The entire camp wasn’t exactly sure how to take them. Obviously there was something going on, but they didn’t want to intrude with it. They held hands with Tyga, shared shy pecks, even living quarters, but they seemed professional in every setting. Every setting that didn’t include their daughter of course. 

“Let the kid go, Abby,” Raven argued as Abby and Marcus continued looking over the makeshift map they had been working on for weeks now. It was clear that neither of them had slept really in days and Abby was really beginning to get tired and snippy. If Tyga was away for at least couple of hours, Abby could maybe get enough work done to also get some sleep. Or laid, of Raven had anything to say about it. “She’s going to be with Octavia and Lincoln.”

Tyga rubbed her eyes and leaned against Abby’s hip as the chancellor continued making notes. “She’s already tired, Raven. The last thing she needs today is to join anyone on a hunting trip,” Abby argued as one hand came down to gently pet Tyga’s curls and the other handed off the clipboard to Marcus. 

“They’re going to be back before sunset. It’s just a little ride and she’ll sleep like a rock,” Raven continued. Tyga really did want to go, but she wasn’t about to ask. She was much too obedient to ask for anything from her parents other than affection and care. Then again she didn’t even have to ask for that. 

“We would just feel better if Tyga stayed in camp if she’s not with one of us,” Marcus offered as he glanced down at the little girl with one hand playing with her silver necklace and the other arm wrapped around Abby’s thigh. “Another day would probably be better anyway.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Octavia sighed as she walked through the door, already picking up on where the conversation was headed. “She’s a grounder. She needs to be free every now and then.”

The wolf pup that had adopted Tyga as her master tugged on the little girl’s pant leg as if for emphasis. They both needed a bit of open space to run that their current home had a bit of difficulty providing. If there was a particularly slow day, Marcus was sometimes able to take her just outside the gate and let her explore. Abby would always want to join them but somewhere something always came up. 

“What she needs is to be safe,” Abby fired back, giving the girl a firm look as the hand on Tyga’s back turned a bit more protective. 

“And she will be with us, Abby.”

The chancellor looked at Lincoln. She had really grown to like the boy over the last couple months and he was definitely one of the most capable guards they had. He knew the area and he truly accepted them as his new home. There was also a connection he had with Tyga. She rarely spoke her birth language anymore, but she shared other things of her previous life with him as he taught her the ways of their people. 

“Please, Mama?” Tyga’s sleepy little voice piped up as she raised her chin to look sweetly up at Abby. “I’ll be very good.”

Marcus could see Abby melt just before she scooped Tyga into her arms and hugged her tight. “You are always very good, baby. I just don’t want anything bad to get to you.”

Tyga sat back in Abby’s arms, absently playing with the hair that fell on her mother’s shoulder. “Tavia and Lincoln will take good care of me and I can run really fast and I’m a really good hider.”

Hiding and running were two things the girl definitely excelled at, sometimes to her parents’ misfortune. She was a lightning fast chameleon and was only ever found when she wanted to be found. Luckily they had only learned this through a few games of hide and seek and nothing more serious.

Abby turned to Marcus for help. It probably wasn’t the worst idea, she just really didn’t like it. Part of her just had a bad feeling about letting Tyga out of her sight today. She had even eaten a quick bite for lunch just so she could bring Marcus and Tyga food in her office. There was just something in her that told her to keep Tyga close.

“Let them take her,” Marcus suggested with a shrug. “They’ll be back before sunset, and I’ll send a radio with them.”

Raven smirked as Octavia slid her a high five before Lincoln plucked Tyga from Abby’s arms and settled her on one of his broad shoulders. “Hear that? You’re our play thing today!”

Octavia reached up to tickle her and the little girl’s laugh filled the room making everyone crack a much needed smile. Marcus’s hand slid onto Abby’s back as she relaxed a bit and even dared to rest into him. 

“Chancellor?”

Everyone silenced as they turned around to Miller standing in the door. “Jackson needs your assistance in medical.”

With a sigh, Abby nodded and leaned over to press a kiss to her daughter’s cheek before turning a firm gaze on Lincoln and Octavia. “Stay safe and keep her safe.”

“We will, Abby,” Octavia replied easily, slapping a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Geeze, you act like we’re going to use her as bait for a lion or something. That was only once.”

Her joke was not appreciated by either of the parents while the others in the room tried to hide their humor. Turning on her heels, Abby followed Miller out.

Marcus pulled a radio off of the charger nearby and tinkered with hit before handing it off to Octavia. “Check in every half hour.” When it looked like the girl was about to argue, he raised an eyebrow that quickly silenced her. They would not be taking Tyga at all if it wasn’t for him so they would obey his conditions. 

The entire camp knew that the chancellor and her right hand man were not to be crossed when it came to their silver eyed daughter. It had taken long enough for their people to accept the girl as one of their own, but now she was treated with kindness and the familial ease that many people treated Abby with as well. Tyga was one of them, as was Lincoln. 

“If you’re not back by sunset I’m sending Bellamy and Monty after you and I will not be happy,” he told them firmly. Raven almost laughed at how soft Marcus Kane seemed to be since he came to earth. She had a feeling a lot of that was because of Abby. Any fool could tell they were in love even if they never spoke of their relationship or lack thereof. They were more than just co-parenting for little girl who loved both of them, they had actually managed their own little family between the three of them. 

For a short moment, Raven wished Clarke could see her mother now. Before the girl left, she had once mentioned she was glad her mother had Tyga to love. It was clear that Clarke didn’t believe she deserved loved after some of the things she did, and at the time Raven would have been the first to confirm that to her. After all, she was the one who killed Finn, the boy they both loved. Now, she understood but at the time she was sure Clarke was every bit of the monster that Clarke thought she was. 

If Clarke could see the way Abby and Marcus looked out for not just the whole camp, but also each other and their daughter, she would be pleased. 

You should be here, Clarke, Raven thought. You would love teaching Tyga about how to get in and out of all kinds of trouble with us.

“Love you, princess,” Marcus told Tyga as he too pressed a kiss to her cheek and gave her knee a little squeeze. 

“Love you too, Papa.”

Octavia rolled her eyes good naturedly. “We’re going for a short ride, we’re not sending her off to war.” 

Marcus gave her a look but accepted her jest. 

“We’ll be back by sunset,” Lincoln confirmed again. “Please ensure Abby of that as well.”

With a nod, Marcus allowed the trio to exit leaving on him and Raven in the space. “So,” she began putting both her hands on her hips. “You and Abby knocking boots yet?”

“Raven,” the man sighed shaking his head in exhaustion. Seriously, sometimes he felt too old to be running a camp of nosey teenagers with too much power. 

She nodded. “Not yet. Got it.”

“Raven.”

She shrugged and plopped down on the couch, making it clear she was getting comfortable to continue this conversation. “I just mean, Abby’s a catch. She’s busy as hell, but she’s also hot and we all know she’s smart.”

“Raven.” The girl was always meddling, and though he knew she meant well, well enough at least, he really wished the girl had something better to do than nose into their personal life. He knew she had better things to do, she just wasn’t doing them. 

“Listen, Kane,” she started again, this time shifting forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “You have a kid together. You share freaking quarters, you’re always hovering around each other and if you don’t make a move on her someone else will. You could be beat out by some hot, younger piece of man and it would be your own fault.”

Marcus rolled her eyes. “Abby wouldn’t go for a younger man, Raven.”

She raised a challenging eyebrow. “Do you really know that? Let’s face it, she could definitely be a cougar.” When Marcus didn’t respond to her she studied him for a bit longer. “Unless you do know it.” He said nothing, just continued working on the map in front of him. Suddenly the girl was on her feet. “Oh my God, you finally made a move.”

With a sigh Marcus shot the girl a glare. “How does Abby put up with you?” The girl only grinned and waited for more. “I am not worried about Abby seeking out attention from other men,” he clarified for her, if only to get her to shut up and leave him alone. 

The smug look only intensified. “You what you’re saying is you told her you love her, but you both are too busy and sleep deprived to actually get any.”

When Marcus shot her a look she all but jumped up and clapped. “I knew it. You all are too damn cute. So cute it actually makes me a little sick. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone… for a bit.”

Just like that she was out the door leaving Marcus with a big enough headache for him to be concerned her needed medical attention. Or maybe all he needed was Abby’s attention. 

With a frustrated groan, he tossed the clipboard he was holding on the couch and headed out the door toward medical. The woman hadn’t slept for days and she was very aware that if it wasn’t for him holding her up, she would have already crumbled into failure. 

He found her standing in medical re-bandaging one of his man’s hands that had caught a blade and broke a few bones. The moment she caught his eye, he could tell exactly how tired she really was. More than anything, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and let her breathe again.

Placing a bottle of medicine in the man’s hand, she turned her attention to Marcus. She offered him a small smile as she went to make note of something. “Didn’t I just see you?” she quipped as she worked. He only response was a smile as she sighed. “I could really use my daughter’s help with some of this,” she muttered as she dropped her pen beside the pad she was writing on and hung her head.

Without thought, he moved in behind her running his hand up her back to massage the tight muscles in her shoulders. Almost instantly she relaxed and into his touched as she closed her eyes. 

Missing and worrying about Clarke was still a part of Abby’s everyday life, but he noticed that most recently she only mentioned her daughter in a more professional environment. It seemed like she was trying to separate her pain from hit. He’d still wake her at night when she cried out Clarke’s name, begging her to stay, but during her waking hours she only spoke of Clarke’s usefulness to their community. 

Nightmares however did not just begin and end with Clarke. He would also hear her whimper his name, asking him to help her before screaming out in pain or her desperately calling to Tyga when it seemed that her dream land had taken her other daughter. 

“So many contraception implants have been removed I’m concerned about a baby boom,” she sighed as she ran her hands over her face while his hands continued his work. She looked as though she could fall asleep on her feet. 

Suddenly she turned around in his arms and pressed her face into his neck. She needed to be held and he wrapped his arms around her instantly. Pressing her body into him like she wanted to disappear with him she let out a sigh. 

“How many more patients do you have?” he asked softly. Part of him was considering carrying her out of the clinic and tucking her into their bed. If he was lucky he may be able to catch a bit of sleep with her. 

“Two, maybe three. That’s if no one else shows up in that time.” He could feel her snuggling in closer and relax as he began to gently massage her scalp.

“Any way Jackson could handle them?” he asked glancing at the list of names split between the two of them. Jackson had one name left on the list. 

“He needs to go home and sleep too. He’s basically running medical nowadays,” she sighed somehow falling even closer to sleep. He wasn’t exactly sure when the last time she slept was, but he knew they hadn’t laid down together in over a week. He had managed to catch a couple of hours here and there on the couch in the office, but Abby was always working when he fell asleep and when he woke. 

“You’re running medical and the entire colony.” 

When she only hummed, Marcus made the decision for her. Scooping her legs out from underneath her, he cradled her in his arms. At first she startled and tried to argue, but with a firm look she silence. That’s how he knew she was exhausted, when Abby Griffin didn’t argue. 

“Jackson?” he called, shifting Abby into a more comfortable position as her head lulled into his chest. The younger man poked his head through the door. He wore an annoyed and tired expression, as he had for a couple weeks now. 

“I’m taking Abby home.”

It was not a question, or a suggestion, it was a statement. Without another word Marcus moved past the man. He had barely made it out of medical when he could feel Abby’s breathing start to even out. 

For a long moment it was concerning how quickly she feel asleep to him. As long as he had known her, Abby was not a light sleeper. Espeically now with Tyga. A single move or sound from Tyga had Abby stirring awake and awaiting more. Not to mention she always waited for him to even attempt sleep. 

Every night he was on late rounds, he would find her sitting on their bed with a book in hand either with Tyga curled up against her or the little girl’s curtain pulled to keep the light off of her while she slept. He knew that Abby was a big believer in Tyga sleeping in her own bed, but he also knew that Abby did not like feeling alone. Even just in their private quarters, Abby needed someone there with her. 

It probably came from being so busy. She hadn’t had a moment truly to herself since the ark and then she probably had too many moments to herself. 

He held her close, even when they arrived at their quarters. She slept best he was able to hold her that close. Even then it wasn’t exactly peaceful. As he settled them on their bed, he could feel her start to tense as he laid down next to her. His lips pressed to her hair as he wrapped his arms around her back. 

Without so much as a boost, Tyga slid off Octavia’s horse before she had even come to a stop. She slid off easily and quickly took off toward the Winter Berry trees. They were her favorite, and she knew exactly where to find them in the area. It was the perfect time to pick them and she had been waiting all winter to gather some for her and her mama. Papa probably wouldn’t like them. They were a mix of tart and sweet and he was not a fan of anything with too much taste. 

“I thought that was where you were heading,” Lincoln chuckled as he watched Tyga easily climb up the divided branch. She moved so easily that amused him. Obviously she was trikru, even if it wasn’t always seen. 

“Mama will like them,” Tyga explained, wrapping her legs around a limb and dangling upside down to look at him. “I wanna share.”

“You gunna share with me?” Octavia asked as she tossed the little girl up a bag. 

In truth, Lincoln expected the little girl to say no, so when she shrugged instead he was a bit impressed. Winter Berries were hard to come by and only a few trikru even knew where to find them, even fewer were light and nimble enough to get to the good berries that grew at the top of the trees, where the sun hit them.

There was legend to the winter berries as well. They grew when everything around them died. Some nations believed they were made of foul spirits, others believed that they contained power. The trikru believed the latter. 

Tyga’s mother had been known for climbing and collecting the berries twice a winter, once at the very beginning and again at the end. It was the only time the berries were perfect enough to eat. 

“What about Kane?” Octavia tried again, watching the girl climb higher and higher up the up tree. It was probably a good thing she was out there with Lincoln and Octavia rather than her parents. They would probably be in a mad panic over watching her climb thirty feet up in a tree so easily. 

“Papa can have some, but he won’t like them either,” she called back. 

Lincoln smirked at the girl as she continued to climb up branch by branch. “We’re going hunting. Don’t fall or do anything stupid, okay?” 

She stuck out her tongue at them as they headed off. Hopefully Lincoln would bring her back a rabbit pelt like he had promised her. She wanted to make a shawl for herself before it was too cold. 

Poppy, who had happily trotted along after the horses, settled herself at bottom of the tree. 

Tyga really didn’t remember a whole lot about her parents, she just had feelings about them. This was just one of the places she felt them. At this point she wasn’t even sure how long ago her parents died at this point. All she knew was that they weren’t there anymore. 

She grabbed a couple of berries and resisted the temptation to pop the berries in her mouth. They smelled like home. She closed her eyes as she brought one of the berries up to her nose and she inhaled. 

One by one, she picked the berries. Every one she chose was carefully examine to ensure it was the perfect blueish purple with no flaws and smelled perfectly ripe. All she could think about was how much her mama was going to love them too. It would be like sharing them with her real mama…

A wave of sadness hit her as she once again felt confused. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go home to her mama and papa. Pulling her knife from her boot, she looked up at the higher portions of the tree. She could easily climb just a bit higher. 

Pressing the knife into the bark of the tree, she carefully carved her name with the perfect letter Mama and Tavia had been teaching her. T-Y-G-A. 

For a moment she just admired it. She liked to practice in the dirt because if she did a letter wrong she could just dust it away and try again. However, she was becoming more confident in her writing skills. Then she added Skaikru right underneath it. Because she was. 

Sliding her knife back into her boot, she carefully started to moved back down the tree, the bag of berries tied to a loop in her pants. By the time her feet hit the cold ground again, she was already looking for her next adventure. Poppy yawned and stretched as she followed behind her master. 

“Tyga!” Abby called happily to her little girl as she came running back into medical with a bag in hand. She went straight to her mama and leaped into her arms. It was easy to see that Abby was better rested than she had been and even more cheery. Tyga settled in her mother’s arms as she happily held up the bag. 

“Present!” 

The big smile on Tyga’s face had Abby almost glowing. The sight of Abby sitting on the end of a table with their daughter on her lap, completely bemused by the happiness they had found in each other had Marcus’s heart fluttering. Somehow he was sure he would never get tired of seeing those two girls so happy with the attention of the other. 

“You have a present, huh?” Abby’s hands held onto Tyga’s back to ensure she didn’t fall backward as she opened the bag and reveal a large blueish berry. Immediately he could tell Abby was curious about it. 

Quietly Lincoln sat down beside Kane and also watched as Tyga took a bite of one end and offered Abby the other. It was clear that Abby was hesitant about it, but she quickly followed and took the rest of the berry in her mouth. 

Marcus watched Abby’s expression carefully as she let the taste of the berry fill her mouth. At first she pursed her lips and then her eyes softened. Whatever it was, Abby certainly enjoyed it. 

“Delicious!” Abby assured the little girl who broke out into an even bigger smile. 

But then that smile slowly fell and Abby could feel the change of Tyga’s emotions. Brushing Tyga’s hair out of her face, Abby waited for her daughter to speak. Those silver eyes started to mist over as Tyga’s gaze fell. 

Marcus quickly got up and moved to his girls, placing one hand on Tyga’s back while his other arm went around Abby to settle on her opposite hip. 

“I sorry,” Tyga hiccupped quickly brushing away falling tears with the back of her hand. 

Marcus gave his daughter a soft smile as he rubbed her back. “Don’t be sorry for crying, baby. Maybe if you tell Mama and I what’s upset you we can help.”

For a moment she looked up and her chin quivered, but she said nothing. Instead she wrapped her arms tightly around Abby’s neck and let out a hard sob. All Abby could do was hold on while Tyga’s sobs echoed through their quarters, looking helplessly up at Marcus who scrambled to hold as much of both of them as possible. 

“Winter berries are a gift to be shared with family.”

Lincoln’s voice had both parents looking up at him as he spoke stoically despite the disheartened features on his face. “Tyga’s mother was one of the few people who knew where and when to gather them.”

He didn’t need to say more. Tears pricked at Tyga’s eyes as she held her baby closer. She didn’t think of Tyga’s birth mother often, not because she didn’t think she was worthy but because it was easier for her to push the thoughts of another mother loving her daughter out of her head. The child was little, young, maybe three or four years old. Definitely not old enough to really have any cognitive idea what was happening around her. In fact, Tyga may have not understood why she was crying either. 

There was not the tiniest doubt in Abby’s mind that Tyga didn’t love her and accept her as her mother. Marcus was her father. Clarke was her sister. 

Together all of them were a family no matter if they were all present or not. 

“Thank you for taking her out with you today,” Abby replied quietly, not trusting her voice to be any louder as she rocked Tyga against Marcus’s body. It was enough to cue the young man to leave without further note. 

She continued to rock Tyga slowly with whispers of love and reassurance until Tyga’s sobs were hiccups that soon became mews of slumber. Her body leaned into Marcus as she bit her lip and closed her own eyes to keep tears at bay. 

“She’s alright,” he assured her quietly, punctuating the statement with a kiss to the back of her hair. 

“I know,” Abby mumbled in response, her voice cracking as she turned her forehead into his neck and sighed. 

Somehow all this made her miss Clarke even more. It made her miss Jake too. It wasn’t that she wasn’t completely overjoyed to have Marcus and Tyga, but she couldn’t help but miss them at the same time with so much gut splitting pain that it broke her. 

Apparently Marcus must have been thinking somewhat similar thoughts because he suddenly held her a little tighter and let out a heavy breath. “Can you imagine how spoiled she would be if my mother were here.”

The very thought triggered a chuckle from Abby because she could easily see Vero and Tyga getting themselves into as much trouble and adventure as they pleased from their love of Earth and one another. 

They had all lost a lot. Sometimes she tried to forget it even if it was completely impossible to forget. Perhaps that was why she had so easily fallen in love with Tyga. It was more than Tyga was a child who needed to be loved when Abby needed to give love, but a mutual understanding of grief. Of what it was like to struggle to keep going. To know what it was like to fall and fail and wish everything was back to where it once was. 

“Promise me we won’t leave her,” Abby whispered weakly as she held her eyes closed against tears and played with the ends of Tyga’s curls. “One of us always has to be here for her to come back to.” 

For a moment Abby wanted to leave it at that, but she couldn’t. There as more than just that. She needed him to come back to as well. She couldn’t survive losing another person she loved so much. One more loss like Jake’s death or Clarke leaving would completely and officially break her. 

“And you always have to come back to me.”

Her voice was calm and clear as she took the moment to look into his eyes. She completely meant it. Of course he knew that. The idea of going on with her was more painful than death to him. 

Carefully he reached up, brushing away a falling tear from her cheek as they took each other in. “A morning does not have a sun without you,” he whispered to her before placing his lips on hers. 

That was all the promise she needed to know that he would come back to her. However she also knew that the world had a way of overcoming will to break them.


	6. Chapter 6

The moment he returned, Tyga was in his arms. Her pup ran behind her as Abby watched with her arms crossed from the main entrance of medical. She didn’t exactly look angry, but he knew better than to judge her mood by the first glance. Jackson took care of Bellamy while Abby greeted Pike with a handshake and Hannah with a hug.

“Papa, I missed you!” Tyga told him happily as she sat back in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands on his shoulders. She was so happy, her silver eyes sparkling with so much joy that he torn between leaving more often to see her joy or never leaving his little girl again. 

“I missed you more, I’m sure,” he told her, pursing his lips so she would land a kiss on them, which she happily did. She made a loud smack and giggled when he made a face at her. The sound of her laugh had him hugging her close again. “I thought of you every moment when I was away. You and Mama.” 

The blissful expression on her face suddenly fell to something different as she leaned back in his arms again. “You made Mama sad.” Her voice was matter-of-fact while her expression was one of confusion and pain. She couldn’t understand why he would make her mama said because she knew that he loved her mama just as much as he loved her and he would never make her sad. “She cried at night, Papa. You didn’t say bye to her.”

The guilt hit him hard as his closed his eyes. His desire not to worry her not only failed miserably, but he felt like he had betrayed her. 

Turning his attention back toward medical, he watched her check over the work Jackson had already done and nodded at something he had said. Then she turned to him. 

Their eyes met and he could see it clearly. Abby hadn’t slept at all since he had left. If not because of the work, but because of the same reason he had volunteered to do night watch, it was impossible to seem without each other now.

He prepared himself for some sort of hostility as he slowly walked toward her. After all, he definitely deserved it. Of course he would never purposely hurt her, but it didn’t change the fact that he did. 

Brown eyes watched every step he made until he was only a few feet from her. “Marcus,” she greeted him. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried to hold herself together. She couldn’t crack here. Not in front of so many people and guards, especially with Pike and so many other new faces. 

Her eyes followed his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. “Abby.”

There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes that had her softening but he still wasn’t off the hook. Turning her back on him, she continued assisting Pike with placement for his people. 

How dare he?

How dare he take off for days without so much as letting her know he was leaving. He pressed a kiss to her lips before she went off to medical day earlier and hours later she found Tyga sitting with Raven, who easily told her Papa asked her to be good until he got back. 

She was quite ready to pull her hair out by the time his first radio signal came through. She half assed listened to his news about finding more of their people and was much too concerned with just dissecting his voice to be sure he was in fact as okay as he said he was. 

As he walked them back to their quarters at the end of the night, his hand on the small of her back while he carried a sleeping Tyga on his shoulder and a wolf pup happily trailing behind them, she was already hashing out the argument in her head. 

He could feel the anger rolling off of her as he carefully tucked their daughter into her bed and Abby slipped out of her boots. She pulled the band out of her hair and let it fall on her shoulders, instead twisting it into a loose braid to sleep. She had barely said a word to him. The only time she had even really looked at him was when he walked through the gate and she had to be sure that he was all in one piece. 

Good intentions or not, he had scared her, but at least she wasn’t kicking him out to sleep in medical or something because of it. 

Turning around carefully, he helped her untie her boots that she was still attempting to toe off. There was a disgruntled sound from the back of her throat as she turned her head away from him, instead looking toward the mirror at the opposite wall. His hands gentle massaged her cold feet as he took a seat on the bed. 

“I didn’t want to worry you,” he said carefully. 

However, it must have been the very wrong thing to say. Brown eyes shot up to him with fury sparking. “You’re joking, right?” she snapped. “So instead you decided to just leave, not even tell me you’re leaving or when you’d be back? I had to find out from Tyga and Raven that you had gone off on some thing. No real details or even an idea of when you’d return. Nothing!” She pulled her feet away from him and glared at him before turning her eyes away from him. 

Perhaps angry was an understatement. He had figured that she wouldn’t be happy, but he wasn’t expecting the sheer outrage that was boiling in her. Leaning onto his arms where his elbows rested on his legs he took a deep breath. 

“Abby, I was trying to get a lead on your daughter.”

All he wanted was her to try and understand that this was for her. That he was thinking of her when he did this. When he looked back over to her, he noticed that her cheeks had grown flushed and she was biting the inside of her lip. Oh God, she was crying or maybe just trying very hard not to cry. Either way he was extremely aware that this was more than what he meant to happen.

It was only then that he realized how much he had truly scared her. It wasn’t even a week ago when she had pleaded with him to be sure that they never leave Tyga alone, then that they would never leave each other alone. 

“I want Clarke back, you know that,” she snapped angrily wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands. “But not at the expense of losing you. I cannot let another daughter lose her father, Marcus Kane. Do you understand me?”

Brown eyes flickered up at him again filled with tears. She was holding herself together by a thread and she was tired. Exhausted. Miserable. 

Since the moment he had first felt freely to openly touch her, he struggled to ever keep his hands to himself. He wanted to touch her, to comfort her, but she had already made it very clear that she was so angry with him that she couldn’t be touched by him. At first he had just thought she was angry, but now it was clear. 

Abby Griffin was heartbroken and scared. 

It had passed through her mind more times than she could count of him not making it back to her, to her never being able to say goodbye, to her having to explain to their daughter that her papa wasn’t going to come home. He didn’t get to do that to her. He couldn’t do that to her or Tyga. 

Though it wasn’t the same, she wanted to press the idea of her disappearing for days, not telling him or anyone else where they were going only for her to return with an injured man behind her. He would have been beyond furious before Tyga was in the picture, now he probably would have held her so tight he may have never let go. 

Then again, he hadn’t lost people the same way Abby had. He had lost his mother, yes, but as much as he had felt the need to protect her from many things in life, it wasn’t the same. By nature, his mother was always going to feel like the protector of him, at least in her mind. With Abby they were a team. They looked after each other. It was a partnership. 

If she wasn’t there when he came home, he would have been completely lost. If something had happened to her while he was away he would have been broken and defeated and-

“I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t his words that surprised her, it was the true heartbreak in his voice that had her studying his face. The tears behind her eyes started to fall one by one as she saw how much he was trying to keep himself from holding her at her request. 

“I know how much you miss her, and I want to take some of that pain away,” he explained carefully. The love he had for her was all over his expression. It was in the pain that he had from hurting her, the determination he held to find her daughter, and the relief at having her and Tyga so close again. 

Abby’s head fell to her chest as she shook her head. Tears dripped off her chin but she didn’t move to wipe them away. She just sat on the end of their bed, knees drawn into her quietly sobbing. 

“Abby…” 

His voice was so quiet and pleading that it only made her sob harder. 

“I can’t lose someone else, Marcus,” she whimpered into her knees. “Neither can Tyga.” Bloodshot brown eyes finally raised to at him. “She’s our daughter. She needs both of us.”

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He moved closer to her, lifting her off the bed and into his lap, holding her as close to him as he could as his nose pressed into her hair. They had never been in this position before. One hand knotted desperately in his shirt like she was afraid he would disappear while the other was wrapped around his neck. 

For a long minute they stayed like that, holding each other so desperately close, allowing the scents of the other to invade their senses until Abby finally pulled back enough to look him in the eye. 

“Marcus…”

Her voice was soft and sultry, needing and suggestive. 

They had never and yet the way she looked at him right then made it clear that she wanted them to take this step. His hand moved to cup her damp cheek as dark eyes stared into one another. He wanted to be sure while she wanted him to know that she trusted him. She wanted to give him her body, to trust him with it, to claim it. 

She wasn’t exactly the submissive type, so when she chose to be submissive to anyone it was a gesture of trust. He knew this, more than that, he understood it. Abby spent every moment of everyday on guard for not just Tyga and her people, but also herself. The closest she was to being off-guard was while she slept, and even then the softest noise had her startling awake. 

She shifted her weight to where she was straddling his laps. His lips gently pressed to hers. It started off slow, just tasting one another, then grew into a flame that burned hotter than jet fuel. They whispered “I love you” and deeper promises than they had ever promised to anyone else in life until they were both naked and spent, holding each other in their bed. 

Of course they had been mindful of the fact Tyga was a curtain away, but she couldn’t help but think of a time that she and Marcus would be truly alone. 

“Maybe Tyga would like to have a camping night with Lincoln and Octavia,” Marcus suggested quietly, his eyes closed in relaxation as his hand drew lines up and down her bare arm. They knew they should redress, but they only really had the energy to pull on their under garments after their earth shattering experience. 

Abby couldn’t hide her chuckle. They were definitely on the same page. 

“I don’t know. Maybe just a night with Raven. I don’t want her outside the gates,” she mused quietly.

He hummed with agreement. Still, he’d work on her on letting the little girl having a night in the woods. Tyga loved the trees too much. Then again, Abby would probably prefer to be there at least the first time her baby spends the night outside the gates. He’d work on that. 

The next morning went on as though they had never been at odds. Tyga went off with the other children to play in the yard since it wasn’t a school day for them. They had yet to put Tyga in school mostly because she was still a bit young for it, but she enjoyed writing her alphabet that Octavia and Abby had been teaching her. 

They were allowing her more freedom within the gates. With Octavia, Lincoln, Raven and many more of Clarke’s friends always watching out for her. She was part of them now too. If anyone knew that blood didn’t make a family, it was these kids. 

“Indra asked about her,” Marcus stated out of the blue as he worked on the patrol schedule for while he was in Polis. 

Abby raised her brow at him but then nodded. “As did Nyko. It was pretty much his first question when he woke up. He seems pleased that she’s happy.” 

At that Abby gave her love a smile that she reserved only for him nowadays. Her hand ran down his arm as she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. They were in a honeymoon phase, she was sure. All she wanted to do was keep a hand on him, to constantly feel his warm skin on hers. Really, if she could get away with it, she would probably spend a solid twenty-four hours with her hands and lips on him. 

“Did I mention I missed you?” she whispered in his ear, placing a kiss right behind it. Her hand gave his arm a light squeeze and she wondered if they were ever going to have a time where they weren’t overworked and struggling for a day that wasn’t them both constantly playing catch up. A day where they could have time for their family that wasn’t a handful of minutes before bed. 

“Maybe once or twice last night.” The suggestive glint in his eye had her pinching his side, which only made him laugh hard. 

There was a look in his eye that had her palms sweating as she slid the dry erase marker she had been holding into her front pocket. They should have been working. They were working, technically, or they had been up until a few moments ago. She had been preparing for their trip and treaty negotiations at Polis while he had been going over their current inventory of ammunition and firearms that Bellamy had delivered to him.

Now it seemed that Kane had something else he was thinking about as he took several steps toward her. His body stopped directly in front of her, leaving only a couple inches of space between their bodies. “How come,” his hand reached behind her head and gently tugged the elastic band out of it, “you never wear your hair down?” 

A flush hit her cheeks but she didn’t shy away from his gaze as her hair fell loosely on her shoulders. 

“I used to all the time,” she reminded him, Though, she was sure neither of them were moving, their bodies seemed to be getting closer to each other a millimeter at a time. It was like the world was making itself smaller for them. 

But there was the smallest shake of Marcus’s head as he gently combed his fingers through it. “No, you always had at least part of it tied back. I like it like this. All down.” She closed her eyes as his fingers started to massage the back of her head.

His hand’s stilled and she opened her eyes and tilted her head up at him questioningly, but already knowing. Just then he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and sweet and most of all slow. He had a way of worshiping her with his kisses and she could spend the entire day letting him. 

The way his arms held her, the feel of his warm skin that burned through his shirt under her hands. She loved him so much that he 

The sound of someone clearing their throat had them pulling apart, but they didn’t step away from each other. They stood wrapped in each other’s arms as they glanced over at Raven in the doorway, standing there with a smirk. 

“You guys finally did it.” 

Her statement should have had Abby rolling her eyes and reminding the girl that it was none of her business, but instead she just smiled softly and tucked her head under Marcus’s chin. 

“Shut up, Raven,” Marcus supplied instead, happily wrapping his arms around his love. 

The girl quirked a grin at them. “Hey, I’m a big believer in a good orgasm. If anyone in camp deserves a few good rumps it’s you too.” 

Marcus gave a dry laugh as Abby sighed and finally stepped away from him. “Is there something you need, Raven?” she asked as she moved back to her supply list for Polis. 

Raven didn’t wipe the shit eating grin off her face as she nodded. “There’s been a power surge at the main gate. Sinclair wants to talk to both of you about backup options.”

With a nod, Abby sent the girl on her way and looked up at Marcus with frustration. His laugh was less than what she wanted but he quickly made up for it by placing a kiss on her lips and guiding her out the door with a hand on her lower back. Together they headed out to the court yard toward the front gate. 

The kids were running around, enjoying the sunny day and instinctively Abby’s eyes looked for Tyga. She found Poppy first, sitting to the side of the gate just watching all the children. Following the dogs gaze, she found Tyga.

She could barely see the girl as several of the bigger children stood between them. However what she could see was Tyga standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Stopping, she grabbed her love’s arm. 

“Marcus,” she said directing his attention to the group of children cornering their daughter. Apparently their sudden stop had earned Sinclair’s attention and in turn Pike’s too since they were speaking to one another. 

Tyga glared at the biggest boy. She didn’t know him and in fact it was the first time she had ever seen him. There were a few new faces among the children, but he seemed to be the one who was wanting to cause her problems. He had already pushed her to the ground twice in the game of tag they had been playing, the second time stepping on her ankle for extra emphasis. 

Her ankle was still throbbing but she stood up and walked right up to him. She was less than half his size and probably half his age, but she was going to show him that she wasn’t going to ignore what he was doing.

“Stop it,” she told him firmly. He wasn’t knocking anyone else down, just her. In fact he was acting like no one else was even playing the game. 

The blonde haired boy smirked. “Stop what?” he asked taking a step closer to her. The other kids playing had all stopped to watch. 

The little kids, the ones closer to Tyga age seemed absolutely confused as to what was going on. As far as they were concern, Tyga was no different than they were. Sure she wore braids and she wasn’t from the Ark like they were, but she was nice. They would tell her about their lives on the ark and she would tell them about Trikru. 

“Stop pushing me down.” She could see her Mama and Papa watching her now and she hoped they didn’t see her getting pushed down too. As much as she loved Mama and Papa, she didn’t want them to stop letting her play with the sky kids because some big kid was a meanie. 

“Tyga didn’t do anything to you, Jax,” Wynn told him. Wynn was her first friend and a year older than her. He was really good at school and sometimes tried to help Tyga learn what they were doing in school. Even though she already had learned some of what he was teaching her, she let him teach him anyway because she liked his company. 

It confused her why Wynn stepped in beside her. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but he seemed to need to stand up with her.

Jax shoved Wynn into Tyga. “What? Are you a grounder lover to?”

Both kids snarled as Tyga helped Wynn get his footing, but with the burst of laughter from the bigger kids she started to feel a bit more nervous. 

“What’s the matter, Wynny?” Jax teased menacingly. He moved forward and Tyga yanked Wynn back far enough to keep him from getting hurt again. The bigger boy laughed at the sight of Tyga pushing her friend out of harms way. “You going to let the grounder fight your battles too?”

Marcus glanced at Abby who was already moving closer to the group of children but slowly. She too was hoping that it would settle itself without needing their intervention. Unfortunately Pike was also moving closer to the commotion. 

“Leave us alone.” Tyga stood taller, her chin raised and her silver eyes flickering with a determination they had never seen before. 

“Or what?” Jax’s hand went out and gave her a solid push to the ground. 

That was enough. Abby started moving faster then, but it seemed her intervention wasn’t needed because no sooner did Tyga look back up at him, the boy’s feet were swept out from under him and he landed with a thud on his right shoulder as Tyga jumped up. 

She was four, but as she got to her feet it became clear that this little girl had been trained in combat for her entire life. Neither Abby nor Marcus had ever seen her so much as hit or kick in a tantrum or distress, but as she stood over the nine year old, she looked absolutely menacing. “Leave us alone.”

This time her words rang with a warning that Jax was not about to heed. He scrambled to his feet and as he took his first swing at her, Tyga easily dodged the blow and planted her elbow in his chest before ducking out of the way of the rest of his body. This time he didn’t hit the ground, but the few steps she took revealed her limp to her parents. 

“Hey!” Marcus called out, pushing past the first circle of kids with Abby right behind him. 

His call had Tyga turning toward him which gave Jax the advantage. The boy grabbed her by the arm and yanked back. Wynn jumped up and leaped onto the bigger boys back, punching. “Leave her alone! She didn’t do anything!”

With one swing Jax threw the little boy back onto the ground, Wynn’s head bouncing off the metal from a bench and caught Tyga’s face with his other hand. 

She stumbled back into the crowd of kids, Abby catching her by the shoulders before she completely lost her footing while Marcus restrained Jax and Sinclair set Wynn back on his feet. Marcus was fuming, but he didn’t dare check Abby’s expression. He could hear her asking Tyga if anything hurt but Tyga wasn’t speaking. She was too angry. 

But Jax wouldn’t even look at him. Instead he stared at Pike who was still calmly moving toward them. 

He was calmer than even Sinclair who really didn’t have a dog in the fight, but any ten year old willing to beat up on a couple a kids half his age and size was not something he was going to overlook. 

“Kane, you’ll have to excuse Jax,” Pike announced as the boy shrugged away from Marcus to instead stand beside Pike. “You have to understand, Jax isn’t used to grounders being in camp with him.”

That was no reason to hit and hurt children smaller than him. Tyga’s nose was bleeding and part of her face was already starting to bruised but she wasn’t crying in the slightest. 

“Tyga is one of our people,” Marcus sneered through his teeth. 

Pike patting Jax’s shoulder as he took a glance at the little girl glaring at the pair while her mother held a cloth to her nose. “She is a grounder, though. Changing her clothes and calling her your daughter doesn’t change what she is.”

This time is was Abby’s temper that sparked. Her head jerk up toward the man. “She’s a little girl, Pike. Just because she was born on the ground doesn’t make her an enemy.”

Ever so slightly the man’s brow raised as Abby nudged the girl to move closer to Marcus as Sinclair picked up Wynn and nodded toward medical to let them know where he was going. Tyga was quiet, but Marcus could almost feel her temper fuming almost as much as her mother’s.

“Little girls don’t fight like that,” Pike stated dryly. “Civilized little girls don’t anyway.”

Marcus grabbed Abby’s forearm just as she was about to march up to the man and tell him exactly what she thought of him and his warped perspective on civilized. Civilized adults don’t let little girls get beat up by boy much bigger than them in the name of ignorance and prejudice. Civilized people don’t justify hostile acts against children. Civilized people didn’t judge all on the acts of one. 

“My daughter has played peacefully with these children for months and never had a problem.” Abby’s voice was cold and careful. She was furious to a point that she knew if she didn’t control her temper she was going to give the entire camp something to talk about. If she hadn’t already, that is. 

Marcus’s hand gently landed on her arm, but she jerked away from him. Scooping Tyga up, she headed straight for medical, cursing silently the entire way.

Tyga leaped out of her arms the moment she saw Wynn on the table, Jackson checking over him. The little girl looked so clearly concerned and frustrated at the same time, and Abby could feel more than hear Marcus’s chuckle at the sight. 

“Your daughter has inherited your need to fight her own battles,” he quipped, his hands landing on her shoulders and gently rubbing the tension out of them. 

Abby sighed, but she didn’t have time to think about that no matter how endearing. Instead she was a little concerned how well Tyga fought for herself. It was amazing. Tyga moved like she was a warrior trained from birth. Her ability to avoid attacks and keep going. The fact her nose was bleeding and ankle was bruised didn’t deter her in the least in the need to stand up for herself and her friend. 

“She’s fought before,” Abby whispered, as though not actually saying it to Marcus but to herself. 

For a long moment Marcus studied both of his girls before nodding slightly. “I can’t say I’m too surprised. She is a grounder.”

There was a flicker of anger that flashed across Abby’s eyes as she looked over at him. “She’s my daughter. No matter where or how she was born. No matter who gave birth to her. That little girl is of my heart and no one is ever going to touch her.”

Abby too a deep breath as she held the hankerchief with her daughter’s blood on it a bit tighter. Black blood. She had never seen that before, even with grounders, but she was too afraid to let anyone know. There was already a stigma against her daughter and she wasn’t about to give anyone anymore reason to have one. 

The way she said it, the way she was almost hostile in the thought of someone getting near Tyga at this point made Marcus a little weary. He had never seen her like that before. Something was scaring her. 

“Abby,” he spoke to her softly, attempting to get her attention but she didn’t take her eyes off her daughter who now laughed with her friend and hugged Wynn happily when Jackson announced that he was going to be fine, just have a headache.

“Abby look at me.” 

Slowly she did so. Her eyes turned to them, holding so many fears that he had never seen. With Clarke she quickly became aware that she could not protect her daughter, but Clarke was unique and strong, not to mention an adult now. Tyga was little, barely more than a baby and now she was a target. 

Marcus turned her around and slid his arms from her shoulders down to her hands and held them. “No one is going to hurt her, Abby,” he promised looking into her eyes. “No one is going to hurt Tyga. They’ll have to go through me to touch either of you, and I will never stop fighting for my family.”

His words had tears springing to her eyes and Abby let go of his hands to step into his arms and wrap hers around him. Her hands clutched at his back as she closed her eyes. Things were going to change, she could feel it, and not for the better.


End file.
